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Police cordon off ‘militant den’ in Jessore

Police cordoned off a house in Ghop Central Road area of the district town on early Monday suspecting it a militant hideout, UNB reports.

Tipped off that the militants are staying in the four-storey building, a team of police cordoned off a house in the area around 2:00 am, said ATM Ajmal Huda, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.

Anisur Rahman, superintendent of Jessore Police, told reporters that family members of seven flats of the building have been evacuated. Khadiza, sister of neo-JMB leader Marzan, is staying on the 1st floor of the building, he added.

Earlier on January 6, neo-JMB leader Nurul Islam Marzan, also a mastermind of the Gulshan attack, was killed in a 'shootout' with the police in Dhaka.

“Through microphone, we have requested Khadiza several times to surrender to law enforcers and switch on her mobile phone. But she did not respond,” the police super said.

Meanwhile, a team of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) from Dhaka reached the spot around 10:14 am.

About 100 policemen were also seen staying there since the morning. An ambulance was also found parked there.

Locals said that the building owned by Haider Ali, a teacher of Jessore Zila School, has two flats in each floor.

Jessore additional superintendent of police Naimur Rahman told reporters that as per information received from SWAT, the house has been cordoned off.

They (SWAT) suspected that the militants are staying in the house and police are barring people, including journalists, from entering to the area, he added.